English Touring Opera Announces Complete Schedule for Upcoming Autumn Season

English Touring Opera's Autumn 2015 season, touring England this October and November, features three classics of French opera.

The season opens in London at the Royal College of Music's Britten Theatre from Thursday 1 to Saturday 10 October 2015, with three new productions: Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande, Massenet's Werther, and Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann.

Pelléas et Mélisande is performed in Belgian composer Annelies van Parys's 2011 arrangement for chamber orchestra, which receives its English premiere with ETO's production. Werther is performed in Iain Farrington's new arrangement of Massenet's score for a salon ensemble performing on stage with the singers, while The Tales of Hoffmann is performed in an existing arrangement for chamber orchestra.

Pelléas et Mélisande is sung in French with English surtitles, and The Tales of Hoffmann and Werther are sung in English. The productions are designed by Oliver Townsend (sets and costumes) and Mark Howland (lighting).

After the performances at the Britten Theatre in early October the operas tour until Saturday 21 November, to Buxton Opera House, Malvern Theatres, Durham Gala Theatre, Harrogate Theatre, Cambridge West Road Concert Hall, Theatre Royal Bath, Snape Maltings and Exeter Northcott Theatre.

James Conway, ETO's General Director, said: 'We set out to find three of the very best French operas, with compelling dramas that could be especially well told on an intimate scale - and decided on three that are essentially 'French', though they could hardly be more different from each other. '

He added: 'It's a special season, certainly, and one of real beauty and intimacy, in tone ranging from the most ironic to the utterly rhapsodic. I was aware of the exquisite van Parys arrangement of Debussy's masterpiece, which is really exciting in its own right. I have loved Werther for as long as I can remember, and wanted to hear it sung by fresh, young voices, with clear text, and I knew of Iain Farrington's passion for and deep knowledge of French chamber music and song. As for Hoffmann, I wanted to make a special case for it as a strange and wonderful drama.'

Pelléas et Mélisande

Belgian composer Annelies van Parys's 2011 arrangement of Pelléas et Mélisande receives its English premiere this autumn in ETO's new production, conducted by Jonathan Berman and directed by James Conway.

Jonathan McGovern sings the title role of Pelléas, with Stephan Loges as his half-brother Golaud, and Susanna Hurrell as his beloved Mélisande. The production is sung in French with English surtitles.

The story begins when the widower Golaud brings home the young maiden Mélisande to his castle. He is violently jealous of her increasingly close relationship with his half-brother Pelléas, and even uses his own young son to spy on the couple. When Pelléas meets Mélisande one last time and the two confess their love for each other, Golaud kills his brother in a rage.

The cast also includes Michael Druiett as King Arkel, Helen Johnson as Genevieve, the mother of Pelléas and Golaud, and Lauren Zolezzi as Golaud's son Yniold.

Pelléas et Mélisande opens at the Britten Theatre, RCM, on Thursday 1 October 2015, 7.30pm.

Werther

Commonly acknowledged as the greatest of Massenet's operas, Werther distinguishes itself for its elegance, charm and raw emotional impact. Based on Goethe's classic novel, the opera tells the story of an apparently idyllic family torn apart by uncontrollable passion.

ETO's new production of Werther is directed by Oliver Platt, with Iain Farrington conducting his own new arrangement of the score for a salon ensemble performing on stage with the singers.

The production, which is sung in English, also features a different group of young singers from local schools and theatre groups in each venue, singing a children's chorus.

The title role of the impassioned and over-sensitive young artist is sung by emerging talent Ed Ballard, in the special version Massenet prepared for baritone. Carolyn Dobbin sings the role of Charlotte, the object of Werther's love, who is engaged to be married to his friend Albert (sung by Simon Wallfisch).

The cast also includes Michael Druiett as Charlotte's father, and Lauren Zolezzi as her sister Sophie.

Werther opens at the Britten Theatre, RCM, on Friday 2 October 2015, 7.30pm.

The Tales of Hoffmann

The Tales of Hoffmann is both a work of genius, studded with famous melodies by its composer Jacques Offenbach, and as dark a comedy as you can get.

The story sees the poet Hoffmann tell an audience the strange and vivid stories of his three former lovers, whilst waiting in a drinking-house for his latest mistress Stella. The three women range from a Venetian courtesan to a doomed soprano singer, and even a mechanical doll. In each tale Hoffmann is also confronted by a mysterious villain devoted to his destruction.

ETO's new production, directed by James Bonas and conducted by Philip Sunderland, matches the talents of young tenor Sam Furness in the title role and Ilona Domnich, who played Mimì in ETO's tour of La bohème earlier this year, in the famously demanding role of Stella and the three heroines.

Australian baritone Warwick Fyfe plays the three villains, whilst Louise Mott sings the roles of Hoffmann's Muse and his friend Nicklausse.

The production, which is sung in English, is accompanied by a series of workshops touring to secondary schools in advance of each term-time tour visit, with ETO's staff conductor talking about the opera and explaining how the production has travelled from an original concept to the stage.

The Tales of Hoffmann opens at the Britten Theatre, RCM, on Friday 9 October 2015, 7.30pm.

www.englishtouringopera.org.uk

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